October 24, 2016

California-Style Beach Food // Playa Betty's

If you've been following me for awhile then you know Mexican food is my all time favorite type of cuisine. Hence, I never say 'no' to tacos! #Dontjudge

Yesterday, my family and I stopped by Playa Betty's ( Located on 320 Amsterdam avenue New York, NY 10023 ) to try the most talked about items on their menu. The initial feeling you get when you walk in the restaurant is Cali confort. You'll find surf boards and vintage posters hanging on the walls, something my kids went crazy over. & speaking of kids, Playa Betty's comfortable seating area offers great space for families with strollers.

I love family friendly places who truly pay attention to details. The kids menu is small yet delicious. On the kids menu you'll find Cheese Quesadilla, Chicken Finger Taco with tater tots and mini queso, Kid's Betty Bowl with brown rice, sweet potatoes, zucchini and chicken with your choice of apple juice or chocolate/ plain milk. Of course no meal could be complete without dessert, right!? With each kids order comes a scoop of tasty vanilla ice cream. My girls also had the homemade lemonade which was tangy and refreshing.

Don't mind Leanne's hand paint.

Now, let's move on to what Moe and I ordered. For drinks I ordered the Spicy Old Fashioned which was served over a Peychaud's Ice Ball. It was smooth to perfection. Moe ordered the 'Holla Pain Yo' (genius name btw) which I had to try and it was excellent.

We started off with 'Tot' Chos: A nice twist to your basic fried tortilla chips. Playa Betty's took this dish to another level. Tater tots topped with classic nacho toppings like cheese, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo and vegetable or beef chili. It was unreal! I didn't stop eating it till there was no more. It was fantastic. A must-have when you visit. We also ordered the classic Mexican Grilled Corn. Every Mexican restaurant does it differently but this was by far the best I've ever had.

Moving on to the famous tacos. I started with The Baja Fish taco. It's a tempura battered Mahi Mahi, with cabbage and avocado slaw, pico de gallo and cojita cheese. But don't be fooled by the simple ingredients. The crispy fish (on the outside and moist inside), crunchy slaw, soft tortilla and creamy sauce (which has a nice kick to it) puts this taco at the top of my list. I could eat this taco for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In other words It's to-die-for!

Moe's favorite was the Southern Girl. A fried chicken with shredded lettuce, poblano chiles and jalapeño crema wrapt in a warm tortilla.

They even serve a traditional Mexican Coke Short Ribs taco (pictured above).

For the healthy eaters try the Dharma Bowls. A bowl filled with choice of rice or quinoa, kale or mixed greens, pinto or black beans, and protein of either grilled steak, roasted chicken, grilled tofu or Veracruz fish. Next time I visit I'm going to order the Beachfire Chicken, a butterflied and spice rubbed whole fire-roasted chicken served with grilled lime halves, grilled scallions, corn tortillas and Mexican grilled corn.

I honestly wish I had more room in my stomach to try everything on the menu since it all sounded amazing! Overall, we loved this place. The atmosphere is casual and spacious. The food was delicious and quickly served, the service was on point. Our waiter Rodney explained each item to us in detail. He also recommended a few items which turned out to be spectacular.

To end our meal we got two Frozen Grapefruit and Lime Paloma shots. This was the best ending to our meal!I'm so happy to have discovered this spot. Finally a place where I can walk in looking mega casual and its totally rad! #nytmEATS